Shadows
by C3P-0h
Summary: A wise Sheikah, a courageous Hylian, and a powerful Gerudo. Sheik has stolen something from the Prince of Darkness, and when his minions come looking for her, it means trouble for a goat herder in Ordon Village. Shink, Sheik's a girl and her own person.
1. Chapter 1

**AN**

**hey guys, spc here, and this is my first ever story! well, the first one i'm submitting. i'm kinda new at this, so please review my story! i need critique and input from others in order to improve, and if i improve then that means better stories get submitted, and if better stories get submitted, then people read better stories, and if people read better stories, then people are happier! (by people, i mean YOU)**

**so anyways, yeah, read, review, enjoy, hate, do whatever you want. but yeah, please review.**

**so this story takes place in the TP setting, sheik is a girl and NOT zelda. i don't own the characters or places, just the story.**

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Chapter 1

He was riding fast, the grunts and sound of hooves quickly approaching him from behind. He spared a glance over his shoulder, and could see the red in the creature's eyes, the rage in its muscles propelling it forward. Panicking, he dug his heels deeper into Epona, pulling on the reins to turn her, attempting to dodge the charging beast. It didn't work. Epona let out a cry as Link fell from her, the ground coming up to meet him. The blades of grass did nothing to soften the blow as he collided with the rocks and dirt, his hands and knees scraping against them. Dazed, he scrambled to his feet, to see Epona galloping around the pasture, the buck turning around to charge at him again. Link knew he wouldn't have the time to catch Epona and mount her again, so facing the enraged goat, spreading his feet and bending his knees, Link steadied himself. The goat was almost upon him now, fury in every clop of his hooves. He lowered his head, aiming his long, curling horn at the boy. Reacting fast, Link grabbed the horn, holding off the beast. The bony ridges dug into the dirt-covered cuts on Link's hands, the muscles in his arms struggling to keep the goat at bay. He stepped to the side, pulling the horn to the ground, the buck coming with it, and dust and pebbles sprayed from the impact, the ground giving a shudder. Link let go of the horn, the animal had calmed, the throw shaking him of his rage. The buck slowly got up, his head lowered submissively as he walked to the barn.

"Whoo boy, that was a fine show!"

_Yes, the life of a goat herder, very exciting_. Link turned to see Fado, the owner of the ranch and its goats. He was a large man, tall and muscular, and had short brown hair. With drooping green eyes, a large nose, and a mouth too small for the rest of his face, he had a perpetually dopey expression, but that was forgotten when you noticed the bulging muscles covering the rest of his body.

"Y'know, I think you've been pissing them off just so they'd attack me," Link called to him. Fado chuckled at that as he walked towards Link.

"Actually, I have _not_, but that's a pretty good idea. And you gotta admit, it makes for one helluva show when they get mad." More laughter from Fado as he clapped a large hand over Link's shoulder, making his knees buckle from the weight. Epona had made her way back to Link and was nuzzling his hair. Asmile broke out over his face as he jerkily moved his head, attempting to avoid the mare's tickling nose.

"Yeah, for you maybe. I'm the one stuck with more bruises than you can count. I gotta get these scrapes cleaned out. I'll see you tomorrow for your daily fill of child abuse."

"Not a child no more, are ya, lad?" Fado said with a smile. Link just waved a hand over his shoulder as he grabbed onto Epona's reins and left the ranch. His muscles were too sore for him to ride Epona, so the two walked together in companionable silence. The sloping hill was hard on him, his legs struggling against gravity as they descended into the village.

Ordon Village was a sleepy little spot on the Hylian map, surrounded by a forest with a stream running through it. The land was speckled with pumpkin patches and quiet homes, chickens and monkeys often roaming through. Legend was that the land had once belonged to a race of forest creatures, but they were long gone now, their home inhabited by humans and a Hylian. The village was isolated from the rest of Hyrule, and the people had learned to be self-sufficient over the generations, starting up the goat farm, and taking advantage of the surrounding forest for wood and other useful plants.

Link's family had been the guards to the village, in charge of defending it from anything that might be a threat. More often than not, however, they had been the ones to greet the occasional salesman or wandering traveler.******  
**Link and Epona were at the bottom of the hill now, the sun low and red on the horizon. It had been a hot, windless day, with no clouds to break up the sky. There was a sort of hush to the village, the chickens and hawks and finches quiet in their usual songs. The only sound his long ears could detect was from the river, giggling and warbling and singing as it ran through the village, tripping over stones and swimming past fish.

Link led Epona to one of the bridges that crossed the river as he heard the creak of a door behind him.

"Hey farm boy!"

Link didn't react at all, but kept walking, pretending not to have heard.

"Hey!" The voice was a little irritated now, and Link knew what came next. He tilted his head to the side as a rock went whizzing past. Link paused in his walking and smiled, turning to see his friend, Ilia.

"That almost hit me. What if I got a concussion? What if I suffered serious brain damage and died?"

"Oh please," the girl laughed as she skipped towards him, "as long as Epona's fine, I couldn't care less." She was standing next to him now, stroking the mare lovingly across the face. "Besides," she added, "your head's so hard, I could smash a pumpkin over it and you'd never notice."

Link feigned offence as Ilia giggled. She was a small girl, which was odd considering Mayor Bo, an ox of a man, was her father. Her white shirt was tinted orange in the fading light, her light brown hair taking on a fiery glow. Her green eyes met his as she said, "Are you gonna watch the meteor shower tonight?"

"Yeah, Rusl's taking his family 'n me out past the bridge. Apparently there's this great spot to see the sky, away from the lights."

"Cool," she replied. "Papa and I are gonna watch it from our roof. We're setting up some blankets and everything."

"Y'know, you guys should head up to the ranch. It's higher up and the grass is softer than a tiled roof."

"It's also covered in goat poo and your blood," she retorted, eyeing his red palms.

"Whatsa matter, you don't like blood?" he laughed, pushing his hand towards her face as she desperately dodged it.

"Eww!"

Epona just snorted, looking on.

"It's getting kinda late, and I have to go help Papa with the blankets," She said, holding Link's wrist a safe distance away. "Wash this out before you go and don't hurt yourself anymore."

She released him and he turned back towards the river, waving his left hand behind him, showing her the Mark on it. "No worries," he laughed over his shoulder, "I'm protected, remember?"******  
**

0~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~0

It had been a long day. Sheik had been running since the sun had first stretched its golden fingers across the sky, stopping only to change into her disguise when she'd had to pass by a lantern vendor. When dusk had begun to fall, she had finally stopped and let her legs collapse beneath her. She was sitting against a tree, tall grass enveloping her as she closed her eyes.

She was so_tired._

Forcing her eyes open, she moved her hand to the bag that hung around her shoulder, feeling for her water flask. Finding it, she clutched the cool leather and brought it out, twisting the cap off and taking long, greedy gulps. The cold water slid like ice down her burning throat, easing the pain that came with each breath. Removing the flask from her lips, Sheik opened up her senses, surveying her surroundings.

She was sitting on the edge of a green meadow, surrounded by trees and rocky ledges, and the sky was the color of fire, ignited by the evening sun. About a hundred feet away was a deep gorge with a wooden bridge reaching from one side to the other, meaning people sometimes came this way.

The grass was still in the windless air, noiseless. It was eerie, the silence. There was no rustling in the leaves of the forest, no bird songs, no running water, no sound at all.

She fingered the loose strip of cloth at her neck, a part of her disguise. She'd change back into her normal clothes when it was dark and she had enough energy to climb through the forest trees. Concentrating once again on where she was, she could smell the soil and the sweet grass she was sitting in. There was some type of spice in the air, coming from the forest, but Sheik decided it was natural, and closed her eyes again.

She felt safe. She felt like she could stop running, if only for a moment and rest her aching body.******  
**

0~~0

Sheik's eyes snapped open as she heard movement approaching her. The sun was still barely above the horizon, so she couldn't have been asleep for too long.

Damnit, she needed to be more careful!

She tensed her muscles as they screamed at her, wanting more time to rest. She remained still as she strained her ears, hoping to gain more information on her visitors.

Hooves. Hooves walking on wood, along with the subdued sound of several pairs of feet. A man talking. Laughing. A soft female voice, and a young child. Three people at least – no… there was another voice, it sounded like a young man. Regardless, they only sounded like a family passing through.

Even though they weren't a threat, Sheik didn't want to be seen. The grass was tall enough that it covered the top of her head, and she prayed that would be enough for them to not notice her sitting against the moss-covered tree.

The Sheikah pulled the white cloth at her neck up over her eyes, just in case.******  
**

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**sooooooo, what'd ya think? there was originally more to it, but it was getting too long. i'll upload the 2nd chapter soonish, hopefully, so you can read more if you want. **

**reviews are fluffy bunnies, and i love them, so please review!**

**sorry... random metaphor... doesn't even make sense**


	2. Chapter 2

**hey... so, this took me a while to write, and i'm not really sure how it turned out. writing was kinda on and off because of writer's block, but i finally managed to get this out. originally there was more to this, but i felt guilty that i was taking so long, so i'm submitting this as chapter two, with the 2nd half as chapter 3. **

**well, i hope you like it, and PLEASE review this! tell me what you think about it, whether you hate it or love it, and please critique.**

**to the people who reviewed, and faved, and alerted this story, thank you SOOOOOOOO much! when i read my email, i was literally jumping up and down like a freak, i was so happy. i honestly didn't think people would like my story all that much.**

**anyway, i hope you all enjoy this chapter**

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Chapter 2

Sheik was cornered, lying in a patch of tall grass, unable to see anything. She could hear the family that had entered the otherwise silent meadow as she contemplated her next move. If she stood up and greeted them, they were sure to be curious of the weak, lone girl in the meadow, legs shaking from overuse and sweat plastering her bangs to her face. Plus there was the matter of her eyes.

Sheik could have no connections with these people, couldn't risk putting more lives in danger. She was still leaning against a large tree, perhaps if she could move fast enough, the Sheikah could manage to jump behind it, and into the surrounding forest before the family had time to react or see her. Thinking back to the layout of the trees immediately behind her, Sheik knew where she would need to jump in order to make it.

She focused her long ears on the family again, but they were utterly silent. Did they know someone else was there? No, that couldn't be it, the grass was covering her completely and she had been careful not to make any noise, lying – ah, no, they were talking again, in whispered voices. They had come out here to enjoy the silence, apparently, away from the people and river of their nearby village. But now they were walking towards her.

Sheik tensed her muscles, ready to spring away to safety. She slowly turned her palms down and dug her fingers into the dirt, to help push herself up when she jumped. Her legs were unwilling to work however, still weak from running all day, and every motion made them burn. She gritted her teeth as she prepared herself.

_One jump, that's all I need. Just one good jump. Ugh, I should have changed out of this stupid disguise the minute I passed that vendor!_

It sounded like the family was getting closer to her hiding spot, when they paused, apparently looking for something in the bags they had brought.

_This is it, this is my chance._******_  
_**

Quick as a fox, Sheik forced a bent leg into the air and brought it down to the ground hard, pulling her hands in towards her body, pushing herself up. She was lightening, coiling her calf muscles to spring, when –

A pillow hit her in the face.******  
**

0~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~0

Link froze. Did he just hit someone in the face with a pillow? His head snapped to look in the direction where he had heard the muffled gasp and the sound of something falling to the ground.

Sure enough, there was the pillow, covering a girl's face. Her arms were braced against the ground behind her, like she had caught herself while falling. They were both still, too surprised to react, as the pillow drooped from her face and fell into her lap.******  
**

It was like they were paint on a canvas, a frozen moment in time. No one moved, and as Link looked at the image in front of him, he could only process one thought.******  
**

_She's blind. Holy shit, I just hit a blind girl in__the face with a pillow_.******  
**

Her skin was tanned, a few shades darker than Link's, and her golden-blond hair fell over her ears and shoulders in thick waves. She had a veil of bangs that covered most of her face and had soft features, but what really drew Link's attention was the strip of white cloth that wrapped around her head, covering her eyes. Rusl was the first to regain his sensesand break the silence.******  
**

"Uh, I think that spot's taken, Link."******  
**

The older man's voice snapped Link back to reality, and his mind refocused on the situation. He had comethis way with Rusl,Uli, and Colin, a family that had more or less adopted him. They had planned to watch the meteor shower in this meadow, away from the town, and when Rusl's wife, Uli, had suggested the bed of tall grass, and Link had nonchalantly thrown his pillow there to lay on which had lead to... yeah.******  
**

It was Uli's soft voice that spoke next. "We're very sorry for… disturbing you, miss."******  
**

The girl's chin tilted upward slightly – as if to look at the people addressing her – and she immediately turned her face down again. "It's um… it's fine, I just…" She was as shocked as Link was, by the way she was stammering. Lifting a long, slender hand, she placed it on the pillow that was still lying on her lap. Her eyebrows knit together in… frustration? Confusion? It was hard for Link to tell when he couldn't see her eyes.

"I'm sorry I surprised you," she finally said, holding the pillow up for Link to take.

Wait. Link. That was him. Right.

He forced his body to work and slowly walked towards her, raising his left hand to retrieve the pillow.******  
**

He grabbed it, giving a slight tug as he did so, so the girl would know she could release it.******  
**

Before she could pull her hand back, Link said, "Here, let me help you up," and lightly held it in his free hand, waiting for her approval. It was rough, and covered in dirt, he noticed, and had another white strip of cloth wrapped around her palm that left her fingers exposed. She was frozen again – from surprise or contemplation, Link couldn't tell – but she finally gripped her hand around Link's and allowed herself to bepulled up.******  
**

She stood, and immediately released Link's hand. He felt the absence of her warmth in an instant as the evening air chilled his skin. She was practically radiating heat, Link had even felt it through the cloth wrapped around her palm. Was that normal? He took another look at the girl now standing before him andsaw that her hair was plastered over her face with sweat rather than simply hanging there, and her legs were shaking, struggling to hold her up. She reminded him of Epona when she had first been born, trying to stand on long, quivering legs. Her posture looked… precarious at best.******  
**

"You ok sweetheart?" It was Rusl's concerned voice directed at the blind girl, as he helped his pregnant wife off of Epona – Rusl hadinsisted that Uli ride on Link's horse, fearing the walk would be too long. Their son, Colin was shyly clinging to Rusl's leg, eyeing the girl curiously, as she tried her best to stand tall, make it look as though it wasn't taxing on her.******  
**

"I'm… yes, I'm fine. Thank you." Her voice was quivering, just like her legs, but it was melodic and had a soothing quality to it. "Please, don't worry about me," she said, and Link was very tempted to oblige; there was just something about the way she said it that made Link feel like forgetting about her was the right thing to do. The way shesaid it had been so… _persuasive_.******  
**

Then again, another part of Link was saying, _You're kidding me, right?_

_The sun had dipped below the horizon by then, the evening sky growing dark. It was a moonless night, the expanse of black above disrupted only by the clusters of stars, perfect for watching a meteor shower. There was movement suddenly in the still air as a gust of wind rushed through the trees, the rattling leaves shattering the silence. The cold air sent a shiver down Link's spine, and he saw Uli beside him, picking up Colin and wrapping the small boy in her warm arms. The blind girl was shaking, her breath rattling as she wrapped her arms around herself instinctively.******  
**_

Rusl walked up to the girl, pulling a thick grey blanket from the duffle bag he was carrying and very unceremoniously draped it around her shoulders.

"Oh, no, thank you, but I have a blanket in my bag," she tried to refuse, as she grabbed the sturdy black messenger bag that hung around her still quivering shoulder.

Rusl promptly put an arm around her shoulders, successfully keeping his blanket around her, while supporting her weight.******  
**

_Way to seem like a creeper, Rusl..._******  
**

"My name's Rusl, this here's Link, my wife Uli, and my son, Colin. What's your name?"******  
**

She was frozen, surprised at the sudden contact most likely, and her shaking stopped almost immediately. "It's… It's Rell."******  
**

"Alright, Rell, you got a place to stay for the night?"

"I was… I was going to camp out here. I know how to make a fire…" Rell trailed off. She wasn't very good under pressure, Link decided. Or at lying.

"Well it looks to me like you're sick," Rusl proclaimed. That would explain the heat. "We live in Ordon Village, it's just a fifteen-minute walk from here. We could take you there, rest you up, feed you, and you could be on your way. But you're not staying out here." There was finality in his statement.

_Real nice, Rusl, very subtle._

Link felt sorry for the girl, but he knew Rusl's decision was the right one, as blunt as it had been.

"Colin doesn't sleep in his bed, so you can use it," the older man continued, "and we've got some warm food for you to eat." He removed his arm from Rell's shoulders as she tilted her head down, looking defeated.

"He's right dear," came Uli's motherly voice. "It's not safe out here at night, and you're in no condition to be camping."

Rell gave a sigh, and finally conceded. "All right, but I'm afraid I can't stay long. I need to… meet up with a friend in a few days." She was shivering again.

"Mama!" It was Colin, looking up at the sky excitedly. "A shooting star!"

Sure enough, when Link looked up, streaks of white cut across the sky. There were so many of them, it looked like it was snowing, and Link smiled in wonder.

_Make a wish…_

Link turned his head down to look back at Rell, to see that she had collapsed on the ground, unconscious.******  
**

0~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~0

The ground was trampled beneath monstrous hooves as it sniffed the air, beady eyes surveying the terrain. Lost the trail again.

The creature lifted its ugly green head and gave a piercing roar, anger rising. It was one boy, one stupid little Sheikah, how the hell was he outrunning and outmaneuvering them?

Turning his head on his fat neck, he scanned the horizon, the open fields that lay before him. Raising his gnarled, brown horn to his mouth, he blew, and charged forward, his band of followers behind him.******  
**

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**well? what did you think? not a lot going on in this chapter, my sad attempt at a cliffhanger was kinda meh, but c'est la vie. jus a warning, the 3rd chapter will be super fluffy (or, at least i'll TRY to make it fluffy) and not very plotty, or actiony, but it's necessary. the 4th chapter will be pretty actiony and plotty though.**

**as always, please review, and tell me if there's anything i could change to make my story better. i'm always rereading it, changing little things to try to make it read better, so i'm totally open to any advise you guys have.**

**i'll get the next chapter out as soon as a i can, and again, i hope you guys liked this chapter.**

**thanks**


	3. Chapter 3

**wow. so, it's been a while, and i apologize with that, this... thing was giving me issues. needless to say, fluff is not my forte (goddamnit, i just rhymed, didn't i) so i'm not so sure about this chapter. next chapter will definately be out sooner though, and hopefully better. regardless, i did work hard on this, and it's not like i'm ashamed of it or anything. i actually like the beginning and end of this chapter, even though it's a little abrupt.**

**well, you'll see**

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Chapter 3

Sheik opened her eyes to complete and utter darkness. Something was resisting against the pull of her eyelashes, and she slowly allowed her tensed muscles to relax, remembering the situation. Closing her eyes behind the fabric tied around her head, she used her arms to push herself up into a sitting position, taking a long breath. She still forgot sometimes, still woke up afraid and breathless, expecting a sword at her throat.

She was safe here – for the time being – in this sleepy little village, isolated from the rest of the world. She ran her palm over the soft grass beneath her, awakening her senses to her surroundings; she had fallen asleep on a low cliff, a little ways away from Rusl and Uli's house. She could feel the cool wind as it tugged at her hair and clothes. It bounced off the leaves in the tree above her, making them rustle and shake, a soft rattling that merged with the trickling sound the river emitted. The chickens' warbling clucks blended with the villagers' chatter, and Sheik allowed herself to lie down again, melting into the sounds around her.

There was so much life here, she could feel it in the people, in the animals, in the trees, in the river; it was so easy to be at peace here. Absentmindedly, Sheik stretched her limbs, and allowed her thoughts to wander.

A week. That was how long she had been hiding in this village. Far too long. She had managed to shake them off her trail for the time being, but Sheik knew she was pushing her luck. It wouldn't be long before they found her again, and anyone else that was with her. She was putting these people in serious danger.

She let out a long sigh, and sat up again, feeling for her thick bag that she had been using as a pillow. When her fingers finally found the course fabric, she pulled it onto her lap and rummaged through it, feeling her way through the contents. She felt the cloth of her usual outfit, the cool leather that surrounded her knife, the thick blanket wrapped around a smooth glass ball, her little deku nuts, until she finally found it, nestled between her water flask and the bottom of the bag.

Wrapping her hand around the slender frame, she gently pulled out her harp, running her fingers along its delicate engravings. The sharp cut of the designs rubbed against her skin as she traced them, the intricate swoops and curves entertaining her fingers as she smiled.

Then Sheik felt it. A light tingling on top of her skin, a jump in her heart. Without thinking, she ducked to the right as a small object shot past her head and hit a tree behind her with a sharp _thwack_.

"Talo!" It was Ilia's disapproving shout, coming from the same direction as the projectile.

"What? It's not like it ever hit 'er before!" Sheik dipped her chin and smiled behind her bangs. During her third day in the village, Talo had accidentally fired a small stone at her using his slingshot, and had been amazed when the blind girl easily avoided it. He had been "testing" her ever since.

"Apologize!" Sheik heard a grumble, and a muttered apology as she stood, swinging her bag over her shoulder, and placing her harp inside it. Turning herself so she was facing the pair, and angling her head down a bit, Sheik gave a small laugh.

"It's fine, I'm not hurt." Talo gave a pompous "humph" to Ilia, then a whimper. She had probably given him a death glare.

With a reassuring smile to the boy, Sheik carefully placed a foot in front of her, examining the ground. She could feel the slope of the hill under her bare feet, and followed it down until she finally reached the bottom, where Talo and Ilia walked over to meet her. Malo must have been with them too, because Sheik could hear a third pair of footsteps.

She hadn't felt much of a change when she had walked out from under the shade of a tree, and considering it had been fairly hot when she'd fallen asleep, Sheik decided her 'nap' had lasted at least a few hours.

"Do you know what time it is?"

Ilia considered for a moment before replying, "About 6:30 I think." It wasn't particularly important, but at least Sheik knew it was around sunset. "Taking another nap?" There was a lilt to the girl's voice, like she was smiling as she said it. Sheik was unaccustomed to sleeping during the night, and this trait was not lost on the villagers.

"Just enjoying the sounds," Sheik replied. "Where are you all heading?"

She heard a soft inhale coming from below her, like Malo was about to answer, but he was quickly cut off as Talo proudly said, "We're gonna go see if Link's home from his job yet so he can teach us more of his awesome sword tricks!" Then there was the sound of a light thumping on the ground, and a few 'ha!'s as though the young boy was jumping into different poses, pretending to swing a sword. Sheik could practically hear the eyes roll.

"Without Beth or Colin?" They usually accompanied the brothers whenever they went to "study under the tutelage of Master Link," as Talo had once described it.

"Beth freaked out because she was wearing this weird green stuff on her face and didn't want Link to see her uglier than usual, and Colin didn't wanna come without Beth. Link doesn't trust us—"

"Doesn't trust _you_." It was Malo's turn to interrupt.

"The point is, we need someone else to watch us and make sure we don't get too intense-"

"Make sure _you_ don't hurt yourself."

_"Anyway,_ Ilia's coming with us so we can convince Link to teach us."

Sheik perked her head towards where she had heard Ilia's voice come from. "They actually got you to come with them?"

"Eh, it was either this or help my dad polish his weird sumo stuff. Besides, if these two knuckleheads don't learn from Link, they're just gonna go into the forest and swing sticks at the poor monkeys." There was a scoff from Talo. "You wanna come, Rell?"

Sheik was surprised at first, both by the offer and the use of the fake name, but quickly regained her composure. "No, that's alright. Thank you, though."

"Aww, why not?" complained Talo. "If we had two people, it'd be so much easier to get Link to train us!"

"That's what I'm afraid of," Sheik retorted, earning a giggle from Ilia.

After a few more minutes of conversation, they parted, Malo, Talo, and Ilia walking towards Link's house, Sheik idly wandering towards the sound of the river, and following it down until she reached a small dock.

The wood was smooth and cool beneath her feet, the smell of soil and water permeating the air. Sitting down, she let her legs hang over the side of the wooden platform, and dangle in the cold water, the bottom of her skirt going with it. Slowly swinging her legs back and forth, feeling the current shift as she moved, the wet cloth occasionally sticking to her skin, she allowed her thoughts to wander, which was…a bad idea.

She contemplated puling out her harp from her bag, but laziness – she was still a little drowsy from her nap – compelled her to simply hum the lullaby that never failed to sooth her. Swinging her heavy bag around her head and off of her shoulder, she placed it next to her and leaned back on her arms, letting the notes of the song carry her away.

She was almost done with the lullaby when she froze, breathing slowly. She smiled.

"Hello, Link," she called, not bothering to look behind her.

"How'd you hear me?" Link's question was incredulous, as he paused, only to continue walking towards Sheik and sit down on the dock beside her.

"I didn't," she answered. "You small like goat." She raised her chin so he would see her amused smile.

**The boy laughed as he stuck his feet in the lake. "Yeah, whatever. You try getting thrown around by those things, and see if you smell like a bouquet after."**

Sheik allowed herself another smile as they sat together for a moment. "You know, Malo and Talo dragged Ilia up to your house. They're probably still up there, waiting for you to get home and teach them how to play with swords."

"Yeah, I figured. I'm hoping that if I just wait here long enough, they'll give up and go home. Ilia'll be pissed at me, though."

"I'd imagine. They'll probably try to get her to teach them instead."

Link laughed at first, but then tried to hide it behind a cough, as if Ilia could hear what he was thinking.

They sat quietly again, simply enjoying each other's company. Sheik could hear Link's steady breathing beside her, smell the scent coming from his skin and clothes and hair as the wind slowly carried it away. Sheik had been teasing him when she commented about the stench of goats. That was very mild. As she sat beside the boy now, she took long, even breaths. He smelt like soil, she decided. Earthy, and strong, yet comforting at the same time.

It was a few minutes before Link broke the silence, saying, "Y'know, I was never really one for sunsets."

"And why's that?" Sheik continued to angle her face down, slowly pushing and pulling her feet through the water.

"When I was younger, and I saw the sun in that pool of red in the sky, I thought it was blood. I thought the sun was dying everyday, and then was forced to come back to life in the morning to die all over again.

"I hated the moon, because I thought it was the one torturing the sun, always killing it in that pool of blood. At night, I'd sit outside and just scream curses at the moon. Then my dad would hit me over the head for it…" Link chuckled at the memory before continuing again. "I don't know, it just got to the point where I hated the moon, I hated the color red, and I hated sunsets."

Sheik unconsciously raised a finger to the wrappings around her head, concealing her eyes, and let her thoughts wander again. It was becoming a bad habit.

"Rell?" Sheik dropped her hand. "Why do you wear those bandages around your eyes?" He paused, waiting for an answer. When he got none he continued, "Do they… do they still hurt?"

She paused a moment before answering, a wave of guilt passing over her. "No, no it's nothing like that. Some people just… find my eyes unnerving." She gave an unconvincing laugh, trying to lighten the mood. They were beginning to enter dangerous territory, and she knew it.

Pulling her feet out of the water, she stood, still facing the edge of the dock. Link followed suit, but Sheik could hear him turning to face her. They were like that for a second, until Sheik could hear the sound of cloth rubbing together. Link had bent down to pick up her bag and was holding it out to her.

"I'm sure they're beautiful."

Sheik reached out her bandaged hand, searching for the thick strap, until it landed on his. The feeling was instantaneous, starting from where their skin touched, concentrating on the back of her hand, and then shooting through the rest of her body.

A burning pain, like her hand had suddenly caught fire, igniting her blood as it ran through her veins. They both pulled back automatically, crying out in pain and clutching their hands. The pain eased, but it still felt like the back of her hand had been branded.

"What the hell?" It was Link's voice, a soft, strained whisper. It came from a lower direction than usual, as though he were bent over in pain.

Sheik swiftly grabbed her bag from the floor with her good hand – Link had dropped it when he pulled his hand back – and swung it over her shoulder.

"Wait, Rell-"

Sheik turned on her heel to face Link, centering herself. She pulled a drop of magic up and into her voice, as she said, "Link, I need you to please listen to me." She was stronger now, well fed, and energized. "Do not follow me. Go home." With that, she turned again and walked in the direction she knew Rusl and Uli's house was, hoping they weren't home.

She needed her eyes. She needed to look at her hand and see what had happened beneath the bandages, if anything had changed. Then she needed to leave.

It was wrong that she was here, wrong that she had allowed herself to endanger these people for so long, wrong that she had lied to them, that she had grown attached to them, and now Link probably knew about her hand.

She would be gone by morning.

* * *

**yeah... cliffy? probably not. questions will be explained in the next chapter. next chapter will also be a lot more plot relevant and actiony, but this chapter was necessary, and a sort of experiment to see if i could actually write fluff. again, this is my first actual story...**

**well, how do you guys think i did? anything you liked, hated, want to see changed?**

**please review you guys, it means so much to me, and i really appreciate it!**

**i'll be back soon! (hopefully)**


	4. Chapter 4

**hey guys, so it's been a while, and i'm back! as promised, this chapter has more action than the last chapter, but i'm not quite sure how it turned out... please review and let me know! also, i want to thank everyone who's favorited, alerted, reviewed, and even had the patience to read this story so far. i'm an amateur writer, i know, but hey, that means i have a lot of room to improve, right?**

**anyway, this is my first week of break, but some idiot at my school decided that it'd be an awesome idea to have final exams AFTER the 2-week long vacation. that person should be fired. alas, i probably won't study at all and hope for a belated christmas miracle when it's time for me to fail my tests. you gotta love procrastinators.**

**oh, so for sheik, i'm using the super smash bros brawl design. it seems fitting, since it was designed in twilight princess style, and i just like it better than the original one. same goes for link, rusl, epona, ilia, and anyone else you see, twilight princess design **

**anyway, onward to chapter 4!**

* * *

Chapter 4

Sheik lay still on Colin's bed, a thick blanket draped over her. Listening to the sound of even breathing through the thin walls of the house, she decided that this was probably the best opportunity she would get. She slowly pushed the blanket off of her, undoing the bandages around her eyes.

Digging through her bag that she had kept under the bed, she grabbed her clothes and changed out of her disguise, which consisted of a simple top and a long pale lavender skirt that hindered her mobility. Now able to move freely, Sheik braded her long hair and tied her white bandages around her arms, legs, head, and torso. She was careful to be silent, afraid of waking the sleeping family in the other room.

Writing a good-bye letter that was less than explanatory, Sheik snuck out of the house, disappearing into the night.

0~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~0

The fire flicked at the air around it, hungry for more, as it cast sharp shadows across the house, and reflected off of the various weapons that hung on a wall. Link sat at a wooden table, taking a slow drink from his cup, savoring the cool touch of the water as it traveled down his throat. Rusl stood on the other side of Link's house – it was more of an all-purpose room, really – leaning against a smooth wall, trying to steady his heartbeat as sweat dripped from his temple.

"Y'know," he said breathlessly, "I don't think I've been this exhausted since that time I forgot Colin in the woods." He gave a tired laugh as Link just rolled his eyes.

_Awesome parenting skills…_

The older man's arm was limp at his side, gently clutching the hilt of a worn, wooden sword.

"Man, Uli sure was pissed," Link remembered. "How mad do you think she'd be if she found out we were still training together?"

"She knows."

"And you're still _alive_?" Link asked disbelievingly, a smile on his face. Uli was usually a kind and very gentle woman, but Link had seen her angry side more than once. There was a reason why mothers were often likened to bears.

"Came as a surprise to me too," Rusl replied with a laugh. He pushed himself up off the wall, and made his way over to the table. Grabbing the other cup that was on it, the two sat together for a while, drinking their water.

Link furrowed his eyebrows as his thoughts wandered, and finally asked, "What d'you think of Rell?"

Surprised by his question, Rusl thought about it for a moment. "She's a nice enough girl, polite, likes to keep to herself… but there's definitely something odd about her."

Link nodded his head as he looked down at his Marked hand, debating whether or not to tell Rusl about the day's events.

"She never did say why she was in that meadow, but I figure it's not really my business anyway." Rusl was staring down into his cup as he thought about the blind girl he had invited into his home. Taking one last swig, he drained it and set it back down.

"You think she's running from something?"

"Oh, definitely. She was exhausted when we found her, and slept for three days straight after she fainted. Uli was afraid she'd die before we could feed her."

Rusl looked up to meet Link's eyes now, the fire light carving shadows into his face.

"I'm going to ask her to stay here."

Link was surprised, but after a moment, decided he really shouldn't have been.

"You think she will?"

"She a strong girl, and healthy now. If she doesn't want to, then we can't make her." The corner of Link's mouth perked up as he agreed to this. "But she needs a home. Seems like she's been on her own for a while, and I don't know if she can handle much more of it. Everyone here likes her, and she seems happy, so I figure why not?" Rusl was smiling now too, as they looked at each other.

_Straightforward as ever._

"Well, enough of my talking, what do _you _think of her?" Rusl joked, wiggling his eyebrows.

"Shut up," Link said with a laugh, swatting his hand at his friend.

"What? There's nothin' wrong with likin' her." They were both standing now, smiling as Rusl teased. "She's quite the looker, if you ignore the pun, and if she decides to stay, then all the better, right?" They slowly reached for their wooden swords, their bodies filled with renewed energy.

Moving away from the table, with eyes trained on each other, they smiled, ready to fight again. Link shifted his weight, preparing to jump, and gripped his sword tight in his left hand.

They were interrupted by a loud, rough whinny from outside. Glancing at each other, they ran to the window to see Epona, rearing back and giving another distressed cry. In front of the startled mare was a smaller form, in dark clothes with white strips of cloth wrapped around its arms, legs, and head, and a white tunic over the chest with a strange blue and red marking. A sheathed knife was slung across the small of its back. The two seemed to be fighting over something, one end in Epona's teeth and the other in the figure's hands. Perplexed, Link squinted in the dim lighting to make out a familiar black messenger bag.

_Oh, _hell_ no._

Barely pausing to think, he nimbly jumped out of the window and landed on the ground with a roll. Raising his weapon above his head to strike, Link swung it down with all of his strength. The thief turned at the sound and reacting fast, let go of the bag with one hand and brought it up to block the blow to the Hylian's surprise. The wood collided with his arm in a solid crack, and Link could hear a sharp gasp. The arm continued to stay strong as he pushed down on his sword, and Link looked at what he could see of the thief's face.

Golden bangs covered most of his face and he wore white cloth around his neck and the lower half of his face like a muffler, but what really drew Link's attention were his eyes; they were sharp and alert, piercing through him. Most alarming of all, they were red like a sunset. Red like blood.

Pulling himself out of his trance, Link gritted his teeth and pulled his sword back up, ready to swing again, but the thief, abandoning his stolen loot, rolled past him in a blur. In an instant, Link found himself on the ground, his feet swept out from under him. His bare arm took the brunt of the blow, the sharp pebbles and flakes of wood – debris from a few of the children's "training sessions" – digging into his flesh.

He lay there for a moment, stunned and out of breath. As his lungs struggled to remember how to work, he could vaguely make out the sounds of blows. It seemed Rusl had finally joined the fray.

Managing to take a deep, full breath, Link jumped to his feet, sword still in hand, and grabbed the black bag from Epona. He swung it over his head and arm, and turned to face the thief as he was distracted, preparing to swing his sword. In hindsight, the surprise attack probably would've gone better if he hadn't let out a battle cry.

Turning at the sound, the thief kicked his leg up in a swooping arc, knocking the sword from Link's hands. Undeterred, he tried to throw a punch, but his arm was grabbed, and he was jerked into a surprised Rusl. The two fell to the ground in a heap of confusion. Scrambling to his feet, Link brushed off the dust as Rusl did the same. He felt… lighter. Looking down at himself and them back up at the thief, he saw why – when Link had been thrown, the thief had slipped Rell's bag off, and now held it in his hand.

_Damnit._

Rusl charged forward, and the two fought. Link stayed back and tried to analyze the thief, remember what his father and Rusl had taught him.

_Look for the weaknesses._

Watching the two, he was amazed at the speed of the thief. He was like water, fluid and agile, easily dodging Rusl's sword, but never actually retaliating. There was something off about the way he moved though; taking a closer look, Link saw why. He was keeping his left arm in, close to his chest, while he used his other arm to balance himself.

Rusl had positioned himself between the thief and the mouth of the forest and was backing the thief up, making him move closer and closer to Link with every step. Seeing this as an opportunity, Link sprinted at him – silently, this time – and pulled back his fist, ready to strike. Somehow, the thief had managed to anticipate the punch, and at the last moment, turned, catching Link's fist in his good hand. Link was unprepared for what happened next.

Pain. Indescribable, familiar, agonizing pain shooting through his hand and engulfing his entire body. Both he and the thief jumped back in shock, crying out, when Link herd a sharp _crack_. The thief's bright red eyes widened for an instant, and then he crumpled to the ground.

Rusl stood above his prone form, panting, and lowered his sword.

"You ok?"

Link looked down at his hand, the mark on it glowing like it had been branded.

"Yeah," he replied breathlessly, "yeah, I'm fine."

Rusl eyed Link's hand for a moment and then looked back down at the thief.

"C'mon, let's get him inside."

Rusl grabbed Rell's black bag while Link hefted the unconscious thief – who was surprisingly light – over his shoulder, and after calming Epona down, they climbed the ladder that lead to his house.

"Link, set 'im down on the table, I wanna get a look at him." The younger man obliged, lying the body flat, and stepped back. Rusl, his clear blue eyes scanning the thief, walked to the side of the table. He slowly reached out and grabbed the tattered white tunic that hung over the thief's chest and lifted it. The fabric had concealed the same blue cloth that covered the rest of the thief's body, as well as more of the white bandages he seamed so fond of, gently rising and falling with each breath he took. Link started choking on the water he was drinking, however, when he saw the subtle curve the bandages were wrapped so tightly to hide.

Rusl, however, was unfazed, as though he had been expecting it. Lowering _her_ tunic, he moved now to her face, brushing the light bangs away, and lowered the muffler to reveal soft, delicate features and a tanned face.

"Bring me Rell's bag."

Link walked over towards the door, where the black messenger bag had been dropped, and handed it to Rusl.

After reaching in and rummaging around for a few seconds, he pulled out a long, white strip of cloth, and placed it over the girl's eyes.

_Well, damn._

* * *

**so... yeah. you can go ahead and add fight scenes to the list of things that i can't write. i don't take any forms of martial arts (well, last summer i tried aikido, but that ended terribly when i broke my collar bone in my third class...) so really i just played super smash bros brawl, watched scott pilgrim and made a lot of stuff up. also, this is where the _real_ plot begins, so looking forward to the next chapter!**

**again, thanks for everything, my wonderful readers, and please REVIEW! reviews encourage me to write more, and critical reviews would be especially appreciated. room to improve, remember?**

**not sure when i'll be able to work on this again, but i'm definitely going to work on it! hopefully the next chapter will be out soon**


	5. Chapter 5

**I'M BACK!**

**i'm sooooo sorry for having been gone for so long. go ahead and blame finals if you want...**

**anyway, the 2nd semester officially starts tomorrow, so i decided to crank this out as a sort of... celebration? idk, there's a better word for it, but it escapes me. anyway, again, sorry for the wait, i promise the next chapter will be out sooner.**

**enjoy!**

* * *

Chapter 5

Sheik slowly became aware of her surroundings as she regained consciousness. Careful to keep her breathing steady and eyes closed, she awakened the senses in her body; the still air smelt vaguely of lantern oil, and the rough ground beneath her dug into her arms and side. There was a tightness around her ankles and wrists, restraining them, pressing them against each other. Through the cloth of her suit and her thick leather armor, it was impossible to tell if her bandages were still wrapped around her arms and legs, but she could feel the absence of the dagger that usually hung across her back. The tip of her nose lightly brushed across her soft muffler with each breath. It was still in place, hopefully the two men Sheik had run into – Rusl and Link, most likely – hadn't worked out her identity. There was the sound of breathing a few yards in front of her, but Sheik couldn't quite make out how many people where watching her. More than one, that was certain. It was hard for the Sheikah to concentrate due to the throbbing pain that came from both her left forearm and the back of her head.

As things were, Sheik was tied up inside, sporting a head injury and a weak arm, without her dagger or bag, and she was being watched by multiple people who may or may not have figured out who she was. Not exactly the easiest situation to get out of, but she would just have to make do. Preparing herself for the interrogation that was sure to follow, Sheik opened her eyes.

"Well, look who's finally up." The Sheikah glanced up to see the same two men standing on the other side of the room – cave? She wasn't quite sure – leaning against the wall. There was a lit lantern at their feet, casting flickering strands of light across their bodies. To the right of them, there was a luminescent square on the ground, above it a matching hole in the ceiling, along with a makeshift ladder leading up to it. That was going to be her way out.

"You mind telling us what you're doing in our village?" The same voice pulled the Sheikah's red eyes back to the men. They were similarly dressed, a simple white undershirt, long green sleeves – though the younger of the two only sported one side – several layers of cultural sashes and belts around their waists, tan, baggy work pants, and brown sandals. They even had the same dark, blond hair and blue eyes. They could have easily passed for father and son, were it not for Link's long, pointed ears. She slowly managed to push herself up into a sitting position.

Taking Sheik's silence as a refusal, Rusl continued, "Alright then, how about telling us how you're alive?" Sheik had been half expecting this question, but Link just stared at Rusl quizzically. "You're a Sheikah, aren't you. One of the Shadow Folk." There was no question in his voice, no confusion. Link on the other hand, looked incredibly lost.

"A what?"

"A Sheikah. They used to be the protectors of the royal family, supposedly. They were infamous for their red eyes and their habit of always knowing too much. That's their emblem on your chest, isn't it?" The question was directed at Sheik, but she kept silent, holding Rusl's gaze. "The Sheikah were supposed to have died out years ago, but that's obviously not the case. Care to explain?"

"Where there is light, there will always be shadows." Sheik had deliberately lowered her voice to speak, but her dry throat burned as she fought the urge to clear it. "Mine is not a race so easily defeated."

"You just got your ass kicked by a goat herder and an old man" – Rusl shot a quick glare at Link – "it seems pretty easy to me."

Sheik felt her eyes narrow at the young man's remark. She turned her red glare up to meet his face, but he was avoiding it, which was a bit unexpected. The remark had been indignant, had meant to be biting and demeaning, yet Link was the one looking away.

"Now that we know you can speak," Rusl interrupted the short silence, "what was so important about that bag?"

This was where things were going to get tricky…

"It was easy to carry." Sheik pulled her eyes away from Link and focused back on Rusl.

"Mhmm… You seemed pretty reluctant to let go of it. Y'know, if you'd just ditched it when we showed up, you wouldn't be in this situation." Rusl's bright eyes calmly scanned the Sheikah's face. "You seem like a smart kid, you must've known the risk. So why'd you take it?"

_Crap._

Sheik took a long, quiet breath, and cocked an eyebrow at Rusl. In that same low voice, and with as much arrogance as possible she said, "What's life without a little risk?"

Rusl gave out a heavy sigh and shared a knowing glance with Link. About what, Sheik wasn't sure.

"You can drop the act, _Rell_, we know it's you."

_Crap!_

Her eyes widened, but in a moment she had regained her composure.

"Then why am I tied up?" She had let her voice rise to its normal pitch, but had a difficult time keeping her growing panic from showing on her face. Thankfully, only half of her face was visible to the two men. Unfortunately, that half contained her eyes. Taking another slow breath, she cleared her mind; it was easier now, the pain from her head injury was less distracting, and the haze that had been clouding her thoughts was lifting.

All she needed to do was draw attention elsewhere. A _lot_ of attention.

_At least now convincing them to let me go will be easier._

"You wanted to act like a thief, we decided to treat you like one." At this Sheik turned her eyes down. "What're you running from?" There was no answer. "Alright then, how about something simpler. What's your name?" At this, Sheik glanced back up at the man.

"What have you been calling me for the last week?"

"No," Rusl said with another sigh, "what's you _real _name?" The Sheikah looked away.

"Let me go."

"Are you gonna answer any of our questions?" Sheik found the statement odd, as Rusl had been the one doing almost all the talking, while Link had stayed more or less silent the entire time, aside from his earlier comment.

"_Please,_ let me go." Clear blue eyes met red ones for a long moment.

"I can't. Not until we get some answers."

"You have no idea what you're dealing with." Sheik was growing desperate. Now that her mind had cleared, the need to leave this place was growing stronger and stronger. She needed to get out. "If you don't let me go Colin, Uli, everyone in this village, they're all going to die. I –"

"_Don't you dare threaten my family._" Rusl pushed himself off of the wall and walked forward until he was standing above Sheik, glaring down at her with icy blue eyes. "We took you in, we fed you, we cared for you until you were healthy, and _what?_ The whole time, you were lying to us about who you were, and now you try to leave without so much as a goodbye. Tell me, what were you so afraid of that you needed to go into hiding to escape it? Were you putting this village in danger by staying here?" Rusl's voice was low, and it took all of Sheik's willpower to hold his gaze.

"You forget, it was never my choice to come here." All she could manage was a whisper as he stared down at her. His eyes softened, and his shoulders dropped. Looking into her eyes one last time, he turned and walked past a stunned Link, to the ladder that led to the hole in the ceiling. As she heard the clack of boots against bamboo, she looked down at the ground. Sheik could feel Link's eyes linger on her one last time before he too ascended the ladder and she was alone.

0~~0

Sheik sat on the cold, rough ground for a long time after they left her. She felt tired and worn, and she desperately wanted to crawl into her warm bed, with its stiff, grey blankets and the sound of breathing just beyond the wall.

_Well that won't do you any good,_ she told herself. The circumstances had been forced upon her, but she had chosen her own path. What she needed was a way out, not a bed.

Gritting her teeth, the Sheikah rolled onto her back, and swung her arms over her legs until her bound wrists were in front of her, sitting back up. Link had taken the lantern with him when they had left, but the open square of light provided more than enough to see the white strips of cloth wrapped around her dark wrist guards.

It felt wrong, leaving this way, but she had to. It was for their sake.

_Besides, their opinion of you doesn't matter._

Link hadn't even been able to look her in the eye…

_That's not the issue._

Steeling herself against the throbbing in her left arm, she lifted it to her mouth and bit at the white cloth until it broke. Holding the severed strip in her teeth, she began to unwind it. She had been too careful with them, too afraid to hurt them. That didn't matter, they would heal. Sheik had let them stand between her and her goal.

She stopped twisting the cloth around her arm when she heard a metallic clank. Looking down, she saw the thin, silver blade that had been hidden beneath her bandages. Picking it up with her right hand, she began to cut away at the ropes binding her.

She was leaving, and this time no one would get in her way.

* * *

**soo, yeah. what'd you guys think? *coughREVIEWcough***

**not a lot of link in this chapter, but you get to see rusl be pissed. i always really liked him in the game, i kinda wanted to write more of him.**

**not really sure what else to say... i have to wake up (attempt to wake up) tomorrow at 5:30, and it's currently 12:45... at night... yeah, i'm not the best with bed times...**

**i was half-asleep when i wrote this, so i'm probably gonna come back and fix it up later. if you see anything you think needs changing, let me know**

**anyway again, i hope you liked this chapter, please review, and i'll be hard at work on the next one! also, a very happy (late) chrismahaunaquanzika and new years!**


	6. Chapter 6

**wowwwww... so guys, it's been a while.**

**sorry it's taken me so long to get this chapter out there, i had finals and my birthday, and this horrible case of writer's block. i would just stare at the page and nothing would happen. this chapter was kind of a bitch to write, especially starting off. plus... yeah, you'll see**

**anyway, i hope you enjoy, the story moves along at it's regular slow-moving pace, but things will start to pick up soon. **

* * *

Chapter 6

The wind rattled through the trees, the quivering leaves whispering and murmuring to each other, gossiping about the day's events. Link walked out the old, wooden door, unable to be in the same house as her, yet forced to remain as Rusl checked on his family and alerted Mayor Bo about the situation.

Sitting on the ledge that held his house up, he looked up at the sky, as clear and cloudless as it had been the day they found the girl in the meadow. The little stars were like holes in an old, worn blanket, cutting through the dark sheet, the moon ripe and luminescent as it cast its rays on the village below.

_What the hell._

This was so freaking messed up. Link raised a hand to his face and rubbed his eyes, as if it would bring everything into sharper focus. Dropping his hand and letting out a sigh, he was glad to have the wind as company at least, so he wasn't alone with his thoughts.

And yet he was.

Why had everything been a lie? What she was, why she was in the meadow, her name, her eyes… What had been real? The way she hid behind her bangs when she wanted to laugh? How she ran her fingers through the soil as she sat and talked with him? Even the way she acted with the people here, had it all been fake?

_Probably._

The wind was chilling as it blew past his skin, carrying with it scents of the forest. Something smelled foul about it, tangy and acrid, but it was hard to find anything pleasant when one realized they had been played like a chump. Link stood abruptly, needing motion, needing action. He wanted to run across Hyrule, to cut down everything in his path, fight until his arms ached with overuse. He wanted to forget about this entire situation, forget about her, and her sharp red eyes. Because quite frankly, he hated it all. Her, her eyes, how she lied, everything. He couldn't even curse her out properly because he didn't know her name! And like hell he was going to call her _Rell_ ever again.

He felt his blood pulsing through his now clenched fists, as he glared up at the moon. He hated the moon too, he remembered. He hated the way it painted the sky red with the sun's blood everyday, needlessly, sadistically causing it pain. He wanted to scream at it, shout abuse at it until it finally hid behind the horizon and brought the sun back to life.

But what the hell would that do? Nothing, but it sure would be satisfying.

He couldn't take this anymore. Turning around, he stalked back into the house, abandoning the wind and the moon, only to remember why he had left the confines of his home in the first place. _She _was there.

The goddesses hated him. That was the only explanation he could come up with as to why everything was hell-bent on pissing him off. No matter where he turned, he just wanted to punch something.

He began turning back towards the door – he'd rather have the company of the moon than the Sheikah – when something flickered out of the corner of his eye. Now, usually Link would just pass this off as the movement of the candle, but fire usually wasn't accompanied by a muffled thump.

_You've got to be kidding me…_ Snapping his head in the direction of the sound, Link spread his feet and bent his knees, bracing himself for an attack. There she was, eyes and all, mirroring his pose. He saw her glance to his left, where the black bag was still resting on the table. He was standing in front of the doorframe, and if he reached for it, he could get to the bag before her. All he needed to do was keep her in the house until Rusl got back.

_Shit, I really have to deal with this? How the hell did she even get loose?_

Eyes locked, they stood frozen, facing each other.

"Link," he glared at the use of his name, "let me go."

Her voice was slightly muffled by the cloth that loosely covered her mouth, but it was still there; that persuasive tone that seemed to will him to do exactly what she said. He felt the muscles in his legs tense, ready to move, and her red eyes narrowed at him, waiting for his reaction. Then he remembered something.

_Oh that's right. I hate you. Why the hell should I do what you say?_

"You want out, you have to go through me." Her eyes narrowed to slits, and they stared at each other, the static in the air growing thick and tangible.

"Step aside or I _will._" He could see her fingers tighten into fists, her knees bending lower ever so slightly, ready to react, ready to fight.

Link wasn't sure if he wanted to curse the goddesses, or thank them.

"Bring it." Pushing off of the ground, he ran at the Sheikah, pulling back his fist to punch. In an instant she disappeared, and Link felt a blow to the back of his head. Dazed, he spun around in time for her to land another kick to his stomach, causing him to cough up all of his air. As he tried to catch his breath, he looked up and saw her red eyes flash before a fist connected with his cheek.

It was a solid blow, but it snapped him back to attention more than anything else. This, however, only made it all the more painful when she kicked his legs out from under him, and his head hit the ground.

_C'mon, wake up!_

Above him he saw a foot rise and before it could swing down, he rolled to the side and quickly got back to his feet. Shit, he wasn't used to fighting without a sword. Oh well, he could make do. While she was much faster than him, he was both stronger and heavier than her. As her arm reeled back to make another punch, Link darted forward and grabbed her wrist, punching her in the stomach as he did so.

Her eyes widened for a moment, and there was a soft gasp, but then she seemed to squint and her eyebrows knit together as if she was in pain. Punching Link in the face with her weak arm, she startled him enough that she was able to pull her wrist from his grasp and jump away before he could land another punch.

She was gradually getting closer to both her bag and the door.

_Where the hell is Rusl?_

Link ran forward, trying to distance the Sheikah from her escape route. As he once again drew back his arm, she was on her back in an instant, legs pin-wheeling as she spun around, repeatedly striking him in the stomach and legs. As he stood there dazed, she rolled behind him again and thrust her arm out in a series of rapid thrusts, her hand connecting with his back.

His body was starting to ache now, he needed to end this fast. He spun around, ready to block an attack, but he was surprised when she reached out and very deliberately grabbed his hand.

Again, there was that burning, electrifying pain that shot through his hand and sprinted through his blood. His world went white as he cried out, but what really stunned him was when he felt the hard blow to the side of his head.

Now that was just plain dirty. Well, he could play, too.

As he regained his senses, he saw her grab her black bag and swing it over her head, shooting a glance back at him. Like hell she was getting away from him. Before she could reach the door, he took one swift step towards her and grab the arm that had been injured. Squeezing tight, he heard her gasp as he slammed her back against the wall, careful to grab her other arm too. Using his weight against her, Link held her there, glaring, as the wind from the window next to the Sheikah's head gently blew against him.

"_Why the hell did you do this?" _He could hear the rise in his voice, but really didn't care as he looked into her sharp red eyes. "Did you just use everyone?" He waited for a response, but she just held his gaze. His body ached as his ribs tried to expand, each breath a painful, heavy pant. "And you lied about _everything_, didn't you. What you are, your name, your eyes… None of it was real." His voice was getting softer now as she glanced off to the side.

"What's the matter Link," her voice was a whisper as she looked back at him, careful to keep her expression blank. She was panting, and when she inhaled to speak, it sounded more like a gasp. "Not as beautiful as you thought they'd be?" Link just narrowed his eyes at her, his rage building again. "Do you have any idea what's at stake?" Her voice was still soft, but it was harder now, her red eyes slits. The foul wind blew through his hair as they stared at each other. "Do you know what goes on outside of your happy little village? No, you don't. Keep it like that." Her eyes seemed to soften again, as she said, "Trust me, it'll be much better if you do."

He opened his mouth to retort, but as he took a breath, he almost gagged. The air was so rancid and thick now, he could hardly breathe. Looking out of the window, he saw why.

There, on his land, was a grotesque, hulking monster, turning its fat head back and forth, seemingly looking for something. Its skin was a sickly green color, it's glowing red eyes, beady in the dark. Wearing grimy chainmail and a sort of horned leather hat, it was carrying a horn in one hand, and the reins to its lower half in the other. The more he stared, the more he came to realize that the creature was actually made up of a giant, demonic boar, and a gangly, ape-like rider. Whatever it was, it didn't belong in his village.

Turning only his eyes, he looked at the Sheikah to question her, but she was frozen as well. She must have smelt it too he realized, she had a far-off, scared look on her face.

"No." Her voice was barely audible now, her eyes betraying the fear she was feeling. Puzzled, Link continued to stare at her, as her red gaze darted back and forth, like she was trying to think of something.

"I'm so sorry," she whispered. As Link opened his mouth to question her, he felt a strong blow to his stomach, and then another one to his diaphragm when he released her arms. Doubling over in pain, he let out coughing gasps as he saw the Sheikah's feet shift and turn.

Looking up, he saw that she had pulled out her harp, and had thrown her bag to the side. With confused eyes, he watched as the golden instrument glowed for a moment and seemed to break, the curved edge stretch and elongate itself, the strings straightening and weaving themselves together.

In front of his eyes, the little harp had turned into an elegant bow, almost as tall as the Sheikah.

_What the freaking hell?_

She raised her right hand, a golden-white orb shining in her palm. As she lifted it to the string of her weapon, it stretched itself until it took the shape of a pulsating arrow. Pulling it back, she held it there for a moment to aim, and then let go.

The arrow was gone, sent flying directly at the monster's head. There was a solid thump as it connected, but the gruesome creature did nothing but shift to the side a bit from the sheer force.

Slowly it righted itself, and turned its head towards the window. Upon seeing the Sheikah there, bow in hand, it curved its mouth up into a smile.

* * *

**sooooo, how was that? like i said, i had major issues writing it at first, but it slowly got easier. not so sure about the quality of it (you know how i'm not all that good at fight scenes) but honestly, i freaked myself out a little at the end.**

**but yeah, like i said, my birthday was earlier this month, so i'm officially 16! yayy :D**

**well, enough of that. hopefully the next chapter will be out sooner... i feel like i'm always saying that, it took me so long to write this thing...**

**i'd like to say that if the fight had continued, link definately would've been the one to get knocked out.**

**let's face it folks, sheik's from a friggin warrior ninja race.**

**anyway, i hope you enjoyed, and as always, please review!**

**thanks**


	7. Chapter 7

**Hehe, uhh... Hey guys? Been that long? ****_Really?_**** Well that's embarrassing... Uh... onward?**

* * *

Chapter 7

The creature's smile grew wider as it raised its fat green hand, bringing the horn to its mouth. Before it could blow into it, another bolt of light had already been shot, knocking the gnarled thing out of its grasp. Sheik scowled under her muffler. That arrow should've pierced through its head.

Taking several steps back, she sprinted towards the window. Tightening her grip on the golden bow and coiling her legs, the Sheikah tucked her chin down and kicked off, her body practically horizontal as she shot through the window and cleared the ledge of the house, landing with a swift roll in front of the boar and its rider. Maintaining her speed, Sheik launched herself up at the creature, the curve of her bow hooking around its fat neck as she forced it off of the boar. She felt a sharp pain throb through her side, her entire body aching as she wrestled on the ground. Her breathing was labored, uneven, and her muscles screamed at her. She couldn't keep this up.

The green monster was on top of her now, pinning Sheik's body to the ground, her golden bow and messenger bag abandoned a few yards away. It leered at her, beady eyes glowing, rancid breath washing over her face. She forced herself not to gag, and not for the first time, Sheik was thankful for the cloth covering her nose.

In the background, the Sheikah could hear Epona's distressed cries as she beat the ground with her hooves. The sound seemed to meld with the monstrous shrieks that came from the boar, both sounds bouncing off of the rattling of the wind-blown leaves. Realizing that she couldn't fight the creature off of her, Sheik could only brace herself as she saw it ready for an attack. Resigning herself, the Sheikah forced herself to stare defiantly into beady eyes,refusing to cringe.

Suddenly the clawed hand that held down her shoulder was ripped away, the jagged nails tearing at her clothes and raking across her skin. The weight that had been pinning Sheik down was gone, the monster lying in an agitated heap just before the edge of the forest. Releasing a shaky breath that she hadn't realized she'd been holding, Sheik turned her head, taking in the scene before her**.**

There, standing between the monster and the Sheikah was Link, holding a wooden sword.

_What, in the names of Goddesses, is that boy doing…_

As Link stared the creature down, muscles tense with the urge to spring, it glared back at him, decidedly pissed. A low grumble vibrated from deep in its throat as shining eyes darted from the Hylian to the Sheikah, debating which one to maul first. Its eyes flashed and its jagged mouth curved up into a smile as it ran at Link. Sheik slammed her hands into the ground behind her head, forcing herself to ignore the pain that shot through both of her arms, and swung her legs into the air, jumping to her feet.**  
**And that's when she felt it: the ground vibrated through her feet, rumbling her bones as she turned to see the great boar charging at them from the opposite side.

"Link!" He yelped in surprise as Sheik grabbed his arm and ripped him from his stance, flipping him around so she could kick him square in the back. Screaming a cry of protest, he was sent flying out of the creatures' paths as the Sheikah used the force to propel herself in the opposite direction. Sheik was fairly certain he'd be fine – he was well enough to curse her at least, mumbling and shooting her a glare as he rubbed his sore back and tried to right himself.

Sheik watched as the two monsters continued charging at each other until the green rider jumped on top of the boar. The two reared around, their expressions contorted into masks of crazed glee, the pale moonlight carving skeletal, eerie shadows into their faces, the golden light of Link's house shining like a blazing fire behind them. The boar raised its massive front hooves and reared back, ready to charge.**  
**Sheik, tensing her muscles, ready to spring, glanced around at her surroundings; the enemies had begun their stampede, heavy hooves pounding the grass and dirt, Epona was still braying and screeching, struggling against the rope that tied her to a post as she tried to fight her way to her rider, Link, who looked frozen, his left hand a vice around his wooden sword, blue eyes wide, darting between the sheikah and the monsters, as if he was unsure if he really had an ally in this battle. They stood in a circular arena, made up of the rocks, Link's house and the thick lining of trees that formed the edge of the forest, and there, not two yards to her left, lay her golden bow, glowing against the dark blades of grass.

The boar and its rider were getting closer to her, and she dove for her bow, grabbing it and rolling into a kneeling position. Her right hand glowed for a moment, and then erupted with light as a shining arrow appeared in it. Stringing her weapon, she took aim, the monsters almost upon her, the rider wielding a thick wooden club. Forcing herself to let out a slow, even breath, Sheik steadied her bow; the last shot had been too weak to do any real damage, but she hoped that if she could just wait until they were close enough, she'd be able to pierce the rider's thick green skull. She narrowed her eyes as it looked down at her, its expression triumphant as the boar charged at her, almost upon her now.

It was at this moment that Link finally decided to take action, running up to her right side and knocking her out of the way of the monsters, his left hand, still clutching his wooden sword, knocking against her right hand. Once again, the two were struck with the blinding, searing pain that shot up through their arms. The amount of energy that had built up in her hand was enormous, power pulsing through her veins, filling her muscles and her bones until it was too much to bare. The energy leaked out through her palm and into her arrow until it swelled to three times its size. Sheik's eyes widened against the pain and against the blinding light of her magic and she could only stare at it, frozen with shock as her body, entangled with Link's, skidded across the ground.

The jolt of the landing was enough to snap her from her trance, and Sheik gasped as the arrow shot from her hand, flying through the air. The two of them sat there, limbs tangled together, lying on top of each other, staring as the arrow shot past the monster's fat head, arcing upward, soaring until it collided with Link's house. All five of them, the Hylian, the Sheikah, the two monsters, and the mare, stared with blank eyes as the house promptly exploded in a shower of splinters and embers, the roar of the fire the only sound permeating the air.

_Well that's never happened before._

Sheik cast a glance at Link who was sprawled on top of her, searching his face for a reaction. The boy just stared at his home, frozen, eyes unreadable as the crackling wood blackened and slowly turned to ash.

The two were snapped back to reality as another sound slowly mixed with the sound of burning wood; a low, rumbling chuckle that gradually grew in volume and insanity until it seemed just as destructive and uncontrollable as the inferno that consumed Link's home.

The two wrenched their eyes from the destruction, their gazes pulled to the red beads thatglinted dangerously in the new light. The monster's jagged mouth was now pulled up into a predatory grin as his mount lifted heavy hooves and began stalking towards them.

It was then promptly knocked off its mount as a boulder the size of a goat came flying at it. The monster was too slow to react, too slow to realize what had happened as the boulder crushed it into the ground. Its red eyes dulled as its body stiffened and turned black before finally vanishing, leaving nothing behind but twisting tendrils of grey smoke grasping at the empty air, a ghostly moan seeping through Sheik's bones.

"Do things usually go poof like that?"

Sheik, Link and the monstrous boar snapped their heads to the source of both the voice and the boulder to see two men standing at the mouth of the village, one easily recognizable as Rusl, the other much larger and much angrier, illuminated by the inferno that was Link's home.

The boar, enraged by the loss of its rider, let loose a deafening screech and charged at the men, head down, razor tusks out, aiming to skewer them. Rusl quickly readied himself, bending down and wielding his sword in front of him, only for the larger man to take two steps forward, thoroughly blocking the swordsman. The giant raised an eyebrow as the boar approached, and as soon as it was close enough, grabbed its tusks. Both the man and beast let out howls of rage as the boar was flung to the side in an impressive show of strength, hitting one of the many boulders littering the field with a sickening crack. There was a moment of silence as everyone watched the still body of the monster, waiting.

And then it was gone, turning black and shattering into dust with an eerie moan of the wind, blowing away until nothing was left.

Sheik laid there, still entangled with Link, all of her fight, all of her adrenaline leaving her. As the events and many fights of the evening finally caught up with her she couldn't help but let her body relax and close her eyes. There would be hell to pay and questions to answer when she woke up, but as she felt her exhaustion she could only think of one thing.

"Dangerous monsters have invaded your town," she all but whispered in a low, scratchy voice, "and your first thought is to grab your _wooden sword_?" She felt the rumble of Link'schest on top of her as he tried to suck in enough breath to reply.

"Shut up, you blew up my house."

Well, she didn't have anything to say to that.

And with that last thought, she found herself finally drifting away into unconsciousness.

0~~0

Sheik knew she was awake when she felt the pain. A uniform screaming in her muscles from overuse, on top of the biting throb that came from a variety of sources, most notably her left forearm and the back of her head. With her eyes still closed, she was careful to take in a deep, slow breath and learn what she could of her surroundings, until she was stopped by another stab of pain from her chest.

"So, you're finally awake."

Sheik knew that voice. With the recognition came all the memories of the past week, the revelations and battles of the previous night.

This wouldn't be fun.

With nothing to shield her eyes, Sheik finally revealed them to look at the kind woman next to her. Uli wasn't looking at her, but rather was busying herself gathering various bandages and cloths and a single bottle holding red liquid. Sheik was frozen as she took in the older woman's features. Her sharp red eyes traced the way the woman's soft blond hair curved to frame her face, the easy grace with which she moved about the room busying herself.

And then Sheik was painfully brought back to reality when the woman turned her head back to look at the Sheikah, blue eyes forcing her to remember everything that had happened.

Despite the foreign shade, there was still painful familiarity there, and Sheik let herself bepierced by the emotions in Uli's eyes. The knife in her chest, throat, heart, was a small price to pay if she could just look in those eyes and remember and pretend.

"Sheik," she heard herself croak out, not breaking eye contact.

Uli looked away then, seeming to consider something - perhaps the way Sheik's voice had begged for forgiveness a thousand times in that one word - before looking back at theSheikah. The pain Sheik felt sharpened as Uli's eyes softened and she approached her again, holding out the bottle of red liquid.

"Drink this," Uli commanded in her soothing voice. "It's not much, but it'll help."

With that, Sheik raised one quivering arm to grasp the bottle, and fumbled with the stopper until it finally came loose. Not trusting herself to look back at Uli (it wouldn't do to startcrying now and the prickling in her eyes wasn't comforting in the least) she drained the bottle in a swig before holding it back out for Uli to take.

Immediately she felt the pain begin to ebb away into a mild throbbing throughout her body and the fog in her mind begin to clear as Uli took the empty bottle away. Much more lucid, Sheik finally began to take stock of her situation. She was in a small, wooden room that smelled like spices and oil, and decided that she must be in Uli's and Rusl's home. She wassitting up in a narrow bed, with thick blankets covering her lower half, and as she looked down at her body she found herself in a simple grey shirt, with long sleeves that fell away to reveal the crisp white bandages that were wrapped around her arms. As she moved she could feel the telling pull of wrappings around her chest and stomach and knew she was bandaged under the borrowed shirt as well.

She was pulled out of her thoughts when Uli approached again, this time carrying with her a steaming bowl of soup and a glass of goat milk.

"C'mon then," she urged, "you need to eat something now that you're awake."**  
**Sheik forced herself to look away from the offered food and back up to the woman's face and found she could only think of one thing.

"Could you please gather everyone? I need to tell you all something."

0~~0

An hour or so later, Sheik found herself in the living room with an audience of Uli, Rusl, Link, and the giant that she had learned some time early that was Mayor Bo. They were all gazing up at her as she stod before them, Uli with her quiet support, Rusl and Bo with matching looks of guarded consideration, and Link, eyes to the side, refusing to look at her as he let irritation roll off of him in waves.

"My name is Sheik."

With that statement Bo and Rusl raised their eyebrows and Link's gaze snapped to her for an instant before he forced himself to look away again, pretending to be indifferent. Sheik took another breath before starting again.

"When I first came here, I was running... I still am, I guess." Knowing she had their full attention, she took another breath, strugling to find a decent place to start her tale. Finally she held up her right hand, showing the Mark that shone on the back of her palm like a brand. "Do you know what this is?" She looked again to Link. He was openly staring at her hand with a mixed expression of shock, confusion, and finally realization as he glanced between his own Mark and hers**. **

They all stred for a few moments until Rusl finally spoke up.

"Triforce," he whispered, still staring. He finally brought himself back to reality at the confused looks of he others and explained, "It's the Golden Power, supposedly the ultimate force that protects Hyrule. Legend has it that it was split into three different pieces ages ago but if they were ever brought together..." Rusl trailed off, once again gazing at Sheik's hand. "The pieces are passed down through the generations, finding bearers that best exemplify the traits represented by the Triforce. The Triforce of Power went to the undying Prince ofDarkness, the Triforce of Wisdom to a member of the royal line, and the Triforce of Courage to a seemingly ordinary Hylian boy." Rusl locked eyes with Link for a moment before looking back to Sheik, eyes sharp and probing. "I've never heard of a piece going to one of the Shadow Folk though..."

Everyone regarded Sheik with new eyes, unspoken questions making the air heavy. With a sigh, Sheik lowered her hand.

"The Prince of Darkness, a Gerudo named Ganondorf," she explained, "was locked away in the Twilight Realm, an inescapable prison, long ago when it became clear that he couldn't be killed." She closed her eyes as she sifted through memories, trying to best explain the situation while not giving away her emotions. "My people have always had a connection to the Twilight Realm because of our affiliation with darker magics and Ganondorf was able to contact the most skilled spell weavers in my home and had them create a device for him." Sheik turned to her thick black bag that laid on a small wooden table to the side and felt theeyes on her as she rummaged through it until she grasped the bundle of cloth that took up the majority of space in her bag. Pulling it out, she unwrapped layer upon later of cloth until she was left with a smooth crystal orb, about the size of her head. It was deceptively light as she held it out in front of her, the smooth surface shining and iridescent in the dim light ofthe candles and rising sun. There were three holes, each just big enough to put a hand through, that joined in a hollow in the very center of the orb, and surrounding the holes were the sharp engravings of small intricate designs that cut up the light.

"This is it," she said, holding it carefully in her left hand. "This is the device they made to release Ganondorf."

Bo was the first one to look away from the object to look back at Sheik. "Hold on," he said in his gruff voice, eyes narrowing. "I thought you said this Realm of yours was inescapable."

At this Sheik felt her mouth curve up into a wry smile as she replied, "We're the Shadow Folk. As Rusl pointed out earlier, we have a habit of knowing too much."

"So Ganondorf wants to use this to free himself," Rusl reiterated.

Sheik paused for a moment, dreading what she had to say.

"He's already free."

* * *

**So I'm not sure what good it'll do me, but I apologize profusely for taking a freaking ****_year and a half_**** to get this chapter out. Does it make it better that I made sure to make this one a little longer than the others? No? I thought not...**

**Anyway, all that aside, I was reading through this story and it was just so glaringly flawed to me... I mean honestly, there are so many things wrong with the story, it's painful. Make no mistake, I'm going to finish this sucker some day, it's just... I guess I'd really like to stress critiques when/if you guys review. Don't get me wrong, I'm stoked that you guys are even taking the time to read this thing, and I can't thank the reviewers enough, it's just that if no one's telling me what needs to be changed, then how can I improve? Don't worry about my feelings, I'm a big girl, I can handle it.**

**Just my last note, the title is very very lame, and I'm on the lookout for a new one, if you guys have any suggestions. I'll be sure to leave the new title in the notes one chapter before I change it, this is just a heads up.**

**Thank you thank you thank you, especially those of you that have waited so long for me to get off my ass and finish this chapter. I can't garauntee that updates will always be in a timely fashion, but I promise to never make you wait this long again**

**XOXo**


	8. Chapter 8

**Chapter 8**

The reaction was instantaneous, Bo and Rusl jumping up, the legs of their little wooden chairs scraping against the floor, eyes widening, as Uli raised a hand to her mouth. Link just stayed perfectly still in his chair, his blue eyes locking onto Sheik's.

"What do you mean, he's already free?" came Rusl's frenzied reply.

Sighing, Sheik closed her eyes, trying to organize her thoughts and memories, looking for the best way to explain this. There was none.

"Exactly that. He's been out of the Twilight Realm for almost a month."

They all looked to each other, trying to absorb this information and the implications behind it. Bo was the first to pull himself out of his thoughts and finally speak.

"OK. He's free. Why hasn't there been some big apocalypse yet?"

"He's been keeping a... low profile." Sheik looked at the four members of her audience. Bo and Rusl had finally regained their seats while Uli calmly watched her. Link's gaze had gone back down, eyes darting back and forth across the floor as he thought. "He doesn't want everyone to know he's free until he's certain he has enough power to win." Win what, she didn't say, but Rusl seemed to understand as his gaze flicked over to Link. "At the moment he's probably in Hyrule Castle. He's been holding Princess Zelda hostage, but he's been keeping quiet about the whole thing. By the time the public even knows he exists, it'll probably be too late to stop him."

Bo's gruff voice cut through Sheik's explanation, "_You_ know he's free. Tell everyone else, get people ready to fight him. No sense keeping people in the dark."

Sheik paused for a moment and then held Bo's steady gaze. He had a fair point, but… "Few in Hyrule would trust the word of a Sheikah. Besides, Ganonorf controls the princess, which means he also controls the castle guard and Hyrule's army. All we would have would be a gang of merchants and farmers who've never even dreamed of fighting before."

They all looked to each other as they processed this news sharing worried looks. Link spoke up for the first time.

"If he's already free," he paused a moment before directing his gaze to the glass orb in Sheik's right hand, "then why do you have that? What's the point if it's already served its purpose?"

_He's quick…_

For a moment Sheik hesitated. Eyes flicking to Link, she then closed her eyes as she warred with herself. Opening her eyes again she answered, "Ganondorf is going to use this device to acquire all three pieces of the Triforce."

_Well, no point in lying now..._

At the mixed looks of confusion and trepidation, she placed the glass orb on the table next to her bag and held up her right hand, the Mark clear and golden against her skin.

"This... this isn't mine." Now they were all looking between the Mark and her face, not quite sure which they wanted to stare at. "This piece of the Triforce... this is Princess Zelda's. Ganondorf used that device to take it out of her and then..." Sheik lowered her hand and sighed. "I got stuck with it. When I went after Ganondorf, I honestly had no idea what I was doing." She tried to keep the embarrassment from coloring her voice, but she only barely succeeded. Taking another deep breath she continued, "I wasn't really thinking straight. I charged in without a plan, and was lucky I wasn't killed. I saw how protective he was of that orb, and figured if it was so important to him, I should destroy it…that didn't work too well. I ended up with Princess Zelda's Triforce of Wisdom, and then, well…

"I've been running ever since. I apologize for endangering your village by staying here so long."

_And for lying, and causing all this and not being able to do more to stop it, and so many other things..._

Sheik looked at the four people, the four kind, honest people that had taken her in and accepted her, and felt another wave of crippling guilt wash over her.

"I'll be leaving today. I've wasted enough of your time and hospitality, and put your families in too much danger." Closing her eyes, she clasped her hands together and rested them against her legs – Mark glowing in the dim light – and gave a low bow. "Thank you, and once again, I apologize."

She held the pose for a few seconds, and just as she was about to relax her stance, a voice broke the almost reverent silence.

"I'm coming with you."

Sheik felt her body involuntarily tense. Muscles taught, she slowly raised her head to lock eyes with Link.

"Excuse me?"

"You heard me."

Sheik raised an eyebrow but from the stubborn glint in his eyes, he'd said all he thought was necessary.

Forcing herself to relax her muscles – _don't get combative, don't pick a fight, just talk_ – she straightened her spine and continued to hold his gaze.

"You can't come with me."

"Yes I can. And I should." With that, Link stood from his chair, and took a step towards her. "You just said you don't have a plan–" Sheik had to bite her tongue to correct him that now she _did_ in fact have a plan… sort of "–and it sounds like you're our last hope against some ancient boogieman or something. Someone's gotta make sure you don't fail."

She felt a flash of irritation at his words. "And you think you're qualified for that?"

"As qualified as you are."

The two stared at each other, eyes narrowed in mutual challenge. Finally, Sheik spoke again.

"Maybe I didn't do a very good job of explaining the situation to you. This _boogieman_ is a hundred times more powerful than the monsters you saw last night. You wouldn't stand a chance against him."

"And what, you would? I'll say this again, an old man and a _goat herder_. You _need_ help and like hell I'm gonna just let you go off on some suicide mission without any! If you die, then what? No one else knows about the bad guy running around free and you refuse to let people know, so if you're gone then all hope is lost. Right?"

Link had taken several steps forward during his rant, invading Sheik's personal space and putting them eye-to-eye (well, almost… Sheik found childish satisfaction in finding that she was actually several inches taller than Link).

Sheik waited a moment before responding, tension coiled in her low voice. "This is _not _up for debate. This doesn't concern you–"

"_Doesn't concern me?!" _Link all but exploded. "Those things were in _my_ village last night, threatened the people _I_ care about, like hell you're going to tell me this isn't my problem! And you know what? _You're_ the one that let it come to that, because let's face it, warrior race or not, you're just a kid in way over your head."

Sheik bristled at being called a kid – she was _not _a child, she was sick of everyone saying that, she didn't need anyone to protect her! – and opened her mouth to retort when suddenly Link held up his left hand, showing his Mark to her.

"What about this? Some kind of ultimate power right? If Rusl was right, it means I've already been chosen to fight this guy, and if you want to win then I'm your best bet."

"No, it means you're one of Ganondorf's _targets,_" Sheik enunciated, sharp drops of venom dripping from her words. "He's hunting you and if he gets your piece of the Triforce, then he's another step closer to getting everything he wants."

"So best to keep on the move," Link countered. "If he finds me, everyone in Ordon Village is in danger. Look, you can argue this all you want, but you know I'm right." Sheik's silence was enough of an answer for hem and he continued, "You can't fight this thing alone and I swear to every goddess, if you fail and let this thing hurt my village because you're too stubborn to accept help, I will find you, disguise or no." No one mentioned that failure likely meant death, but it tingled at the back of their minds.

The weight of his words hung heavy in the air as the two teens stared each other down. Faces mere inches away from each other, ice blue locked with blood red in a silent challenge.

Rusl cleared his throat, shattering the tension in the air. Brought back to reality, Sheik forced her shoulders to relax and released a breath she hadn't realized she'd been holding. Her eyes flicked back to Link. He was looking away from her, stepping back as subtly as possible.

"We're not solving by just going back and forth," Rusl said. "Now Sheik–" the name still sounded a bit awkward on his tongue "–I understand why you're hesitant to drag anyone else into this, but Link's got a point. This is too much for one person." Sheik felt the fight leak out of her as she heard the sense in Rusl's words. "When we found you in that field, you were so exhausted that you _fainted_. I hate to say you've bitten off more than you can chew, but I remember Ganondorf from the old legends."

Uli finally spoke up, her gentle voice tinged with worry. "So we send our _children_ to fight? This shouldn't be their duty! The goddesses can choose another champion, I don't want Link in that kind of danger!"

"Uli, he's not our son, we can't–"

"Well he might as well be!" Link's eyes snapped to Uli at her exclamation. There was fragility in his eyes and his lips parted in something unspoken as they exchanged looks. Uli's eyes softened as she walked towards Link and took one of his hands in her's. "I can't see you get hurt," she whispered. She turned to face Sheik and raised a hand to brush golden bangs from her red eyes. "Either of you. This shouldn't be your burden to bear."

As Sheik looked into Uli's sad eyes, she felt a tightening in her chest. Sheik saw something that she thought she had lost forever and the ache it brought made it almost impossible to breathe.

_No. It's not her. It's not her it's not her it's not her and she's not coming back._

But she was so close, it _hurt_.

"I–" her throat was dry. Why was it suddenly so hard to talk, why was it hard to _breathe_? Sheik could only look into Uli's eyes (_no they're too blue, it's not her_) as she struggled to contain her emotions, to gather them all up and lock them away. She didn't have time for this.

It was Rusl who spoke next, his voice soft. "Uli, Sweetheart, I know how you feel. You think I want this? If it were up to me they'd both stay in the village and let someone else deal with Ganondorf, but we don't got a lot of options. I'd go myself but you didn't see the way Sheik fought last night. The way she moved… I'd just slow her down." He walked forward until he was next to his wife, looking at the two teens. "And Link," he looked at the young Hylian and smiled. "You should've seen him. The way he fought… his dad would've been proud. I know I was." He clasped a rough hand around the back of Link's neck. Seeing the three of them, Rusl, Uli, and Link, standing together sharing small, intimate smiles, Sheik felt like she was intruding. Like she was an outsider. "You're right, this shouldn't be on their shoulders. They're young and this is too dangerous for anyone to take on alone. But these two…" He turned then to look at Sheik and smiled at her. "They're our best bet."

There was that stirring again in Sheik's chest. The four of them stood together, looking between each other.

Sheik finally found her voice and said, "Alright. You can come with me, Link." His expression sobered and he gave a short nod.

"Well, if it's any consolation," Bo, momentarily forgotten finally spoke up. With a grunt he hefted himself off of his wooden stool and mad his way to the little gathering. "It's not a war. Not yet at least." He clapped Link on the back (nearly winding him) and said "I have something to give you, Link. Come by my place before y'all head out." Giving Link's back one more meaty pat, Bo let his hand drop and turned, lumbering towards the door to Rusl and Uli's home. He paused and turned around again. "Also, if you don't give my little girl a proper goodbye, this Prince of Darkness feller ain't gonna be your only problem." Bo gave a sharp nod to himself and finally left the house.

Sheik glanced at Link and had to stifle a smile at seeing him pale so quickly.

0~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~0

It was midday by the time Link left Bo's house, stuffed bag around his shoulder. Ilia followed him out the door, mouth skewed to one side as she looked up at him.

"And you're sure this isn't too dangerous?" she asked. "I dunno Link, you were talking with Papa an awfully long time if you're just escorting Rell home."

In the conversation following Bo's departure, Rusl suggested that they keep Sheik's identity and the purpose of their journey a secret. The less they knew, the better, especially if anyone came asking after a red-eyed Sheikah girl.

"I told you Illia, it's fine," he answered over his shoulder. "Your dad was just giving me some stuff for the road and lecturing me about being a gentleman or something."

Ilia scrunched her eyebrows together and worried her bottom lip as she looked at him. They made their way to the mouth of the village and saw "Rell" waiting with Rusl, Uli, and Colin, in the same long skirt and top they found her in. The white bandage was once again tied around her face, covering her eyes, and her black bag was slung around her shoulder.

Glancing behind him, Link saw Ilia's concerned expression and gave a small sigh to himself. Turning forward again, he forced a brighter note into his voice and said, "Kinda bummed we can't take Epona though. A lot of the trails are too narrow for her, but it'd sure make the trip faster." Ilia made a face and flicked Link on the arm. "Ow! What did I say?"

"Honestly, is that all you see her as? A way to get around?" Link looked away and grumbled something about the whole point of having a horse, but was satisfied at her improved mood. Ilia ignored him and smiled brightly. "You don't need to worry, I'll take good care of Epona while you're gone."

Link just shook his head and smiled, saying, "Yeah, I'm sure." They stopped when they finally reached the group. "Okay, so we ready?"

Sheik's head tilted in Link's direction. "As ready as we _can _be," she answered.

It was jarring to see the transformation from Sheik to Rell – to see the powerful fighter become this soft, timid girl. Not because they were two separate people, but because there was really no change at all. It startled Link to see that the girl he had known for the last week was the same warrior he fought (and would've lost to, if he was completely honest) last night.

_Except for her eyes. I can't see her eyes._

Ilia's voice broke through Link's train of thought. "It was really great meeting you Rell," she said with a smile, walking up to the taller girl.

Sheik's head tilted again and she returned Ilia's smile. "You too Ilia. I–"

She was cut off when Ilia through her arms around her in a hug. "I'll miss you."

Sheik was frozen for a few moments before her face softened and she returned Ilia's hug. "You too. Thank you for everything, Ilia." The smaller girl gave a light giggle and pulled away from the hug enough for Link to see the tears pooling in her eyes.

"You have to promise to come back some time, okay?" Seeing Sheik's surprised expression, she continued on, "No excuses! You have to come back and visit." Link saw the hesitation in Sheik's face – he hadn't realized how difficult it was to read her without the aid of her eyes, which were so open. Now he had to rely on watching the pull of her eyebrows or the set of her mouth. Her eyebrows scrunched a bit in the center and she gave a small smile.

"Yes Ilia, I promise."

Satisfied, the girl rounded on Link.

"And you!" Hand on her hip and finger pointed up at him like she was scolding a child, she said, "You better come back in one piece, and don't let anything happen to Rell!"

Link just rolled his eyes and answered back, "Yeah yeah, I got it. We'll be fine, Ilia."

Ilia's stern face broke into another smile. Wrapping her arms around him, she squeezed him tight as he returned the hug. "I'm serious, y'know," she said, voice muffled by his shirt. "Just come home safe." She released him then and stepped back, rubbing at her wet eyes.

He looked at his childhood friend wondering if this really was the last time he would ever see her. If it was the last time he would see Ordon.

_It could be…_

Shaking his head, he pushed those thoughts from his mind and gave his best condescending smile.

"Really Ilia, it's like you're expecting us to go off to war or somethin'. I'll be back before you know it." Ilia just returned his smile and shook her head at him as Uli stepped forward.

At seeing the tears in her eyes, Link did his best to smile at her but she just shook her head and pulled him into a hug. "You come back to us, young man."

Careful of her swollen stomach, Link squeezed her back just as tightly and felt the pulling in his throat that came with tears. This was the woman that had raised him after his parents died, that gave him food and a bed and _love_ until he was old enough to live on his own.

"Yes ma'am."

"I love you."

"Yeah. I love you too." His voice was hoarse from trying not to cry and they held each other for a few more moments before Uli finally released him and turned to Sheik.

She took several steps forward and placed a hand on Sheik's cheek. Reaching up, she placed a soft kiss on Sheik's forehead and wrapped her arms around her.

"Stay safe, sweetheart."

Sheik nodded into Uli's hair, eyebrows scrunched together. The hand on Uli's back, bandaged to hide the Mark, had closed into a fist, and her knuckles had turned white.

"Thank you, Uli. For everything." Her voice shook and she gave a small sniff. If Link looked hard enough, he swore he could see darkened stains gathering along the bottom edge of her eye-bandage.

Uli ran her hand along Sheik's back one last time and they released, stepping away from each other.

Colin ran up to Link then, hugging him around the waist. "How long are you gonna be gone for?" he asked through his sniffles.

Link placed a hand on Colin's head, ruffling his hair and said, "I dunno. We have to go kinda far away, so it could take a while." Colin let go then so that Link could crouch down and look him in the eye. "I'll be back before you know it, I promise. Until then, you're in charge of the other kids, okay? That means if any of them give you a hard time, you just do that trick with the slingshot I taught you." Colin brightened then and the two gave a conspiratory smile as Uli shook her head disapprovingly._  
_

"Bye bye Rell, it was really nice meeting you!" Colin smiled through his tears up at Sheik.

"You too Colin," she replied, "I'll come back and visit some day, okay?"

Rusl stepped forward then and said, "You're more than welcome to. Our doors are always open to you." Rusl turned to Link and pulled him into a hug. "And you. I'm proud of you, Link. You've grown up to be a fine man."

Link closed his eyes and hugged Rusl back.

"Be safe." With that, Rusl pulled away and clasped a hand on Link's shoulder. He looked between the two teenagers, and gave a watery smile. "Alright you two, you take care of each other. If you run into any trouble you can't handle, you get out of there, you hear me?" They both nodded and he smiled, satisfied. "Right then. I'll be seeing you both later."

The promise hung in the air as they turned away from Ordon Village. They would come back. They _had_ to come back.

They took their first steps into the forest, away from the sunlit village, and heard Ilia's playful cry of "Make good choices you two!" wishing them goodbye.

* * *

**Wow, it's been a long time. Sorry if this chapter's not really up to par, it's been kind of a while since I've looked at this story. Not super happy with it (I feel that the last part was especially too long…) but once again thank you to all my wonderful readers who have held on with me for this long. **

**Once again, reviews are greatly appreciated, especially critiques. I can't improve if I don't know what's unsatisfactory, so please, if something's going on that you think could be improved, let me know! ^.^;**

**In other news, I'm looking for a beta reader! It's going to be a bit more involved than usual, because I'm not just looking for someone to point out grammar mistakes. I'm looking for someone to bounce story ideas off of, work on my writing style with, and ready to kick my butt when I'm being lazy. The job is mainly for this story, Shadows, but if you could do it with other fandoms and stories too, that'd be much appreciated.  
**

**If you're interested, just shoot me a PM with your Skype, iChat, email, _something,_ so we can talk. A sample of your writing would also be cool if you don't have any stories posted, but not really necessary.**

**Thanks!**

**~C3P-0h **

**(I promise, this is the last time I'll change my name -.-;)**


	9. Chapter 9

**Chapter 9**

The walk out of Ordon was… awkward.

The silence between them was punctuated by the crunch of leaves underfoot, each _snap_ weighing the air down with words unsaid. But really… what could she say? "Sorry I lied about everything, let's be friends? Oh never mind, that's a bad call, you'll probably die if that happens. Actually I don't want you here at all, it's a terrible idea, you should turn around now, let me go off to my death without another soul on my conscience, k? Thanks."

Right.

That would go well.

To be fair, it's not like they'd had any time to talk. They had rested only once, about an hour after they had left the village, for Sheik to change out of her disguise, and they'd been going nonstop ever since, jogging and walking in intervals. The sun was beginning to dip low in the sky, painting everything an orange hue.

Sheik glanced at her new traveling partner out of the corner of her eye. Link's face was… focused– on everything but her. Ice blue eyes were trained on the path ahead of them, his eyebrows slightly pulled towards the center, and a layer of sweat dusted his brow and nose from several hours of traveling. His breathing was more ragged than it was before, heavy gusts of air rattling out of his chest, but that was to be expected. Even Sheik was feeling exhaustion creep up on her, and she'd been doing this for several weeks.

Never once during the day had Link's eyes traveled to her. Not that she'd been watching.

The pair finally slowed when they reached the edge of Ordon Province, marked by the ancient temple standing sentinel at the border. Wind-weathered stone, sprawling high above the trees was draped in climbing vines and creeping moss, the air saturated and heavy with a power untouched by time.

This place was sacred.

Sheik felt her breath still in her chest as she paused before the temple, reverent. She'd been too exhausted and frenzied the last time she'd passed through the temple to enter Ordon, but now that she had her energy back and her wits about her, she felt a consciousness that did not belong to her stirring within her mind. It was gentle and warm, like sunlight dripping through leaves, and yet no less commanding for it. It wrapped around her, soft petals protecting her from the darkness and cold, a parent curling themself around a child. It felt like being welcomed home.

Sheik closed her eyes and took a deep breath, letting the sweet air stream into her lungs and warm her blood. The breeze gave a small pull, inviting her into the ancient temple. Sheik opened her eyes and gave a slight nod, accepting the temple's welcome with silent thanks. She turned then to look at Link, opening her mouth to announce that they should enter, but froze at the look on his face.

Link was staring up at the temple, wide eyed. His lips were parted slightly and his eyebrows were pulled to the center, creasing the skin there. Sheik watched him, captivated. She couldn't turn away, and yet it felt… invasive, somehow. She was watching something far too personal, but how could that be? Link just continued o drink in the temple with his eyes, taking in every crack and chip in the stone temple's façade.

"I…" his voice was pulled out of him, clumsy and frail, "the last time I saw this, I was twelve years-old." Sheik watched the notch in his throat quiver up and down as he swallowed, hoping to ease his dry throat. "I told myself I'd never see this place again, but. That seems kinda dumb now… how could I not see it again? Of course I would…"

Link trailed off, his eyes never leaving the temple. Sheik could only watch him, her brows furrowed as she tried to understand. She turned to look back at the temple, eyes searching. She looked back to Link.

_What does he see when he looks at this temple?_

"Link," she said as gently as she could.

His shoulders gave a small jump, and he turned to stare at her with startled eyes. He looked back at the temple and turned to her again, confused, before finally seeming to realize where he was and turned his eyes to stare solidly at the ground.

"…Sorry. I just got, um… caught up in something. Not really sure…"

He trailed off, brow furrowing even more in frustration and… confusion? Sheik could swear she saw his cheeks redden, but that might have just been the glow cast on them from the dying sun.

Sheik's eyes darted from side to side, as if looking for some answer for how to navigate this suddenly very _awkward _situation.

"…Are you–"

"Come on. We need to keep moving." Link marched forward with heavy steps, apparently eager to leave the sudden, confusing vulnerability he'd shown as soon as possible.

Sheik only paused a moment, staring after him before following Link into the ancient Forest Temple.

0~~0

Each step the pair took echoed lightly against the stone walls of the temple. They hadn't spoken since the …incident outside, but it somehow no longer felt awkward. No one was obligated to fill the silence. Instead the two listened to the sounds of their breathing, the breeze mimicking the rise and fall of their chests. A ghost of life murmured through the temple, soft whispers of souls who had once lived and died on this hallowed ground.

They navigated the empty space, looking for a suitable place to stop for the night. Finally, they found a relatively small circular room, empty but for a ring of stone pillars in the middle. Sheik walked to the middle of the room, and removed the bag from her shoulder, gently setting it down. She turned to Link and cleared her throat after several hours of saying nearly nothing.

Link's head was turned away and slightly down, as though he was still reluctant to look at her.

"We can spend the night here. We should leave at dawn and go to Hyrule Field so we can distract Ganondorf's monsters, and then go from there."

His ice blue eyes snapped up to her. "Distract?"

Sheik gave a small nod and a low sigh as she said, "That one in the village was a scout sent out to look for me. If it doesn't make it back to the horde they'll get suspicious and probably come this way to investigate. We'll need to lure them in a different direction to make sure Ordon stays safe."

Link's eyes drifted to the side again, and he gave a short nod. He then crouched down and set about busying himself with his bag, hands moving fervently but accomplishing nothing – finding some excuse to not talk to her, to pretend she wasn't there.

She'd be lying if she said it didn't hurt. Just a bit. She'd also be lying if she said she didn't deserve it.

Sheik shifted her weight from one foot to the other and saw Link's hands still, eyes still trained on his bang, and yet every muscle alert to her.

That hurt a bit more.

Sheik let out a gust of breath and ran her long fingers through the fringe shielding her red eyes. Following Link's lead, she dropped into a crouch and set about pulling the grey blanket Rusl and Uli had given to her before they left _(Oh Goddesses, it still smelt like_ _them) _and various bits of food. Eyes down, she looked for words to fill the silence.

"I think the best plan would be for you to take something of mine and make a scent trail through the woods surrounding Hyrule Field. Then I'll blow the horn we got from the scout and lead them to the trail. It should buy us some time, at least, and they won't have any reason to go to the village."

It was quiet for a moment too long, when Link finally said, "Buy us time for what?"

Sheik looked up and over to him, to see that he was still, crouched over his bag, hand resting over his knees. His eyes were lost, staring out to some indistinct point on the ground in front of him, but then he turned them back on her again.

She was frozen, pinned by his questioning stare.

"Well?" He prompted again, a note of impatience in his voice. "What's the plan? Assuming there's one at all."

Sheik turned away from him and continued laying the blanket out on the temple floor, embarrassed.

Link scoffed.

"Figures."

Sheik felt her temper rise at that.

"And I suppose you have some sort of plan for all of this? Because please, I'd love to hear it."

Link turned to face her fully then and rocked back on his heels until he was fully sitting, legs crossed. "Right, because that was _my _job. Because _I'm _the one who goes running around in disguises stealing big magic balls from evil overlords like I have any idea what I'm doing."

Sheik's eyes narrowed at his tone. Who was this _boy _to demand every answer of her when he'd been living safely in his village his entire life, coddled and – and… Sheik felt the anger flowing through her seep away. Instead, she just felt overwhelmingly tired.

Mimicking him, she sat down, leaning against one of the tall pillars, and heaved a sigh.

"Maybe I don't know what I'm doing," she admitted, "but what am I supposed to do?" She brought a hand up to her face and rubbed the heel of her palm against her eye. "I never wanted any of this to happen. But it did, and now it's my responsibility to take care of it." Her hand fell away from her face and she looked up to Link, blood red eyes watching him. He'd stilled, face frozen as he watched her back. "And it shouldn't be your responsibility either but I dragged you into it with my own carelessness and…" she let out a small breath and held his eyes with hers, blood meeting ice. "I'm sorry. I'm so so sorry for getting you involved and endangering your family, and I can't apologize enough for it. But I'm trying to make it better."

Link tore his eyes away from her and looked to the side, his face unreadable. Sheik held her breath as she waited for him to respond.

"Yeah." His answer came in a gust of wind from his lungs and his muscles relaxed, the tension leaving his shoulders. Still averting his gaze, he continued, "Well, s'not like you even wanted to come into the village in the first place. We pretty much would've dragged you in even if you hadn't passed out. Plus not like I gave you much of a choice in taking me with you."

Sheik's eyebrows pinched together as she watched him. Why was he…?

"You don't need to make excu–"

"I'm not."

She froze, her voice sticking in her throat. His face was still turned to the side, but now he was regarding her out of the corner of his eye.

His eyes flicked back to the side and he continued, "It was my choice. It's my responsibility now too, and I would've gone with or without your permission. Neither of us chose this, but someone's gotta clean up this mess, right? It shouldn't just be you."

Sheik's look of surprise softened as she watched her new companion. The corner of her mouth twitched up as she replied in a soft voice, "No, I guess not."

Sheik gave a small shake of her head, and a breathy laugh slipped past her lips. "A Sheikah in hiding who likes to think she has all the answers, and some supposed boy hero, hiding in the forest. Not the most ideal pair, but stranger things have happened, I guess."

Link gave a snort and turned back to fully look at Sheik, his blue eyes bright as the corner of his mouth kicked up into a crooked smile.

"Sure they have. Some supposedly extinct ninja warrior got her ass handed to her by an old man and a go–" he was cut off as he dodged a loaf of bread wrapped in cloth that had been sent flying at him.

He laughed as Sheik rolled her eyes in mock exasperation. "You can't keep on bringing that up you know, it's gonna get old sooner or later." Link's only reply was to press his lips together in a sorry attempt to hide his mirth, his eyes still twinkling.

"Maybe. But until then you're not living it down, Sheik."

This was… nice. Being at ease again with Link just as they'd been before the nightmare had once again closed in on her, collapsing her happy dreams. It was nice having someone to laugh with again. Except, there was one difference that stopped Sheik's heart and made her eyes widen at the realization.

It was the first time he'd called her by her name.

* * *

**so i'm a big college girl now and i still can't write for shit and never update unless all the stars are in alignment on the half-blood moon or whatever.**

**big big BIG thanks to everyone who's still reading and reviewing, i can't begin to apologize enough for making you always wait so long, you guys are amazing. as always, critiques and reviews are always welcomed and encouraged, but if you don't want to that's cool too and thanks again for reading.**


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